The Effects of Expanding Pell Grant Eligibility for Short Occupational Training Programs: Results from the Experimental Sites Initiative

Each year, federal Pell Grants help millions of low-income students pay for postsecondary education. Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to encourage more short-term occupational training improved postsecondary enrollment and completion for low-income students, according to this study authored by Mathematica and Social Policy Research Associates for the Institute of Education Sciences. The findings are based on a study of two experimental expansions to Pell Grant eligibility piloted between 2012 and 2017 to help displaced workers in the recovery from the Great Recession.